


Kill La Kill AU: Nui Harime's Jouney

by Oranja_Glad



Category: Kill la Kill (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Heroic!Nui, Nui might be OOC here, Original Kamui, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oranja_Glad/pseuds/Oranja_Glad
Summary: After years of being treated like a mere doll by Ragyo, Nui, along with Rei, sets out on a journey to protect Ryuko and Satsuki from the mysterious Primordial Life Fiber. On the way, she gains new friends and witnesses awesome battles, and wonders if perhaps she can really be redeemed, as unlikely as it seems to Ryuko.
Kudos: 6





	1. The Pinkest Thread

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is my first fanfic published!
> 
> As unlikely as it may seem, I thought about making a KLK AU where Nui (along with Rei) turns against Ragyo. I'll try keeping Nui as in-character as possible, though it won't be easy, given her "sadistic" side in canon.
> 
> Also, other than violence, there will be NO explicit content, unlike an awful lot of Nui-centered/related fanfics I've seen.
> 
> With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy Nui Harime's Journey!

The Kiryuin Conglomerate.

Oh, how special these people are...

A massive multinational conglomerate owned by the Kiryuin family, with access to immense resources and power. Of the corporations that are part of the conglomerate, the REVOCS Corporation, which controls 90% of the world's appeal, seems to be the most important...

With Ragyo Kiryuin, the CEO of REVOCS, leader of the Kiryuin Conglomerate, and the head of the Honnōji Academy's board of directors...

Rei Hououmaru, Ragyo's secretary and assistant...

Takiji Kuroido, the alternative head of the family's manor while Ragyo is absent...

And, the second most special of them all...

Nui Harime, Ragyo's artificial daughter, and the Grand Courtier of REVOCS.

They are all indeed powerful, but they had a dark secret that only Nudist Beach was capable of knowing...

The Kiryuin Conglomerate wanted to take over the world.

Albeit, this was Ragyo's decision, since she wanted the world to see the truth with clothing (as silly as that may seem). Using the Life Fibers, along with Primordial Life Fiber, maybe she would succeed.

Nui, on the other hand, did all the dirty work for Ragyo. She listened to Ragyo loyally, even carrying out with killing Isshin Matoi. Nui, however, knew she wasn't normal...

And... was killing Isshin the right move?

She remembered walking into his lab... she didn't WANT to kill him, but if that made Ragyo truly happy...

And then she remembered losing her left eye to him, via one half of his scissor blades.

She also remembered impaling him with the other scissor blade, leaving him to die.

Because she was made of Life Fibers, and since the scissor blades could cut through Life Fibers, this meant Nui's eye couldn't regenerate.

Did Ragyo care about Nui's worsened eyesight after that?

...Not really.

This is when Nui realized that she was too late... too late to realize that Ragyo was not the best mother.

-

Over the last six months, Nui had been growing tired of Ragyo almost every day. Sure, Ragyo was her "mother", but she definitely didn't see Nui as a daughter...

She saw her as a mere tool.

When Nui found out she had been created via the Primordial Life Fiber, she felt something was off about Ragyo giving her "love". Then again, that Ragyo treated Satsuki, her eldest daughter, with little "love" as well; not your parental love, mind you, but something much, much worse was hiding beneath the surface...

And, as such, Satsuki had enough.

She let Nui in on her "plan", so that the both of them would escape one day.

Nui, on the other hand, did not want to leave someone else behind...

"What?! You want to... run away from REVOCS?!"

Startled by Rei's sudden outburst, Nui bowed her head, her normally cheerful smile faded to a saddened frown and her giant pigtails drooped to the sides. "Y-Yes, Rei. Don't you think Mama really isn't the best person to be around? You know how she kept giving Satsuki... those baths..." The Life Fiber girl grew silent, stricken with sorrow and grief before the secretary's eyes. Black and blue surrounded Nui's dull eyes, indicating her lack of sleep. She was pitiful, unworthy to stand before someone with whom she was once equally revered to, which was very... wrong. Wrong because this was supposed to be the Grand Courtier of REVOCS, Ragyo's second-in-command, and the murderer of Isshin Matoi, unless...

No. Rei knew that Nui wasn't just that "cute and psycho" person; if Ragyo wanted Nui to be a certain way, Nui would be that way... which was the problem. Nui was definitely not like other humans, so she wouldn't be treated the same if she revealed her own skills to the public. Rei, on the other hand, watched over Nui since the day she was born. She knew what went on through the Life Fiber girl's head since Day 1. If there was anything clear, it was that Nui only killed Isshin Matoi because Ragyo ordered her to... not that Nui had any intentions of doing so. If anyone dared to speak against Ragyo, then it was their funeral.

And Ragyo relished in it.

"Nui..." Rei frowned. The woman sighed and leaned back in her chair, thinking about what to do. On one hand, if they did happen to escape from REVOCS, someone would eventually find them out anyways. On the other hand, if they directly told Ragyo about their plan, then she would NOT take Nui and Rei's betrayal against her lightly.

Eventually, Rei was out of options.

"Even if we left... where would we go?"

Nui stopped to think about that.

It only took her a moment to realize that Rei was right; they didn't have anywhere to go. Even if Satsuki let them into Honnōji Academy, people would still recognize them.

"Rei, can I tell you something?"

"Yes, Nui?"

"I don't like Mama at all."

"Neither do I, but there's nothing we can do about her or her plans."

Nui, now tired, just gave up. All they had now was to rely on Satsuki's plan... which she didn't specify completely. All Satsuki did tell Nui was that she was going to call out Ragyo in front of the residents of the city, and hopefully expose her plans.

But, even if the REVOCS were exposed... what would everyone think of Nui and Rei, even if they turned against Ragyo as well? It certainly didn't help that they did the work for Ragyo...

"Rei, I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Okay, just be back soon."

Nui did not hesitate to get out of there. Although, she still thought back to that first day: That cheery demeanor of hers while she killed Isshin Matoi... why was she smiling? Was it the Life Fibers in her that were making her mood change?

She didn't know. She couldn't even understand herself.

Although, even as she walked, Rei's words echoed in her head...

"Even if we left... where would we go?"


	2. Meeting Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nui finally meets Ryuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy... this is where the plot of the show really started to pick up its pace!
> 
> Will Nui keep her cool while facing Isshin Matoi's daughter?

Now, here she was, walking around the outskirts of Honnōji Academy. Her face was hidden under that pretty parasol of hers, and the parasol was wide enough to cover up most of her huge pigtails.

Nui had noticed that a "tournament" was going on at the Academy. Wondering what was going to happen, she decided to stop by and pay a little "visit"...

Or, more precisely, pay Satsuki a little visit.

She smiled, knowing that she and Satsuki were practically sisters, having been raised in the care of Rei...

But not just Rei...?

Oh, right... that bitch of a mother.

Nui sighed, knowing that she wouldn't even leave REVOCS alive if Ragyo somehow knew what she was thinking at the moment.

However, she brushed off that thought, as she witnessed two people charge at each other on the battlefield; one was a seventeen-year old girl with short black hair and red streaks, and she was wearing revealing black armor and a black skirt, both with red stripes, along with red straps connecting the armor to the shirt, and black boots with red stripes. The opponent was inside a big green suit of armor with an orange mask, and was carrying a rather long sword. She knew the guy in the armor was Sanageyama; one of Satsuki's Elite Four.

Nui gasped as she noticed something about the girl...

She had the other half of the scissor blades.

Nui gulped. Could this girl really be...?

Yes... Ryuko Matoi; Isshin Matoi's daughter... she had grabbed the other half of the scissor blades somehow.

Nui quickly made her entrance by jumping between Ryuko and Sanageyama; blocking the two from attacking each other. This, of course, startled both of them, as they did not expect a very young girl to come in between them in such an intense moment.

Satsuki, on the other hand, was unamused at such an interruption...

"What is the meaning of this, Nui Harime?"

Nui simply smiled at that greeting.

"This isn't fair, Lady Satsuki! Why didn't you tell me you were doing something this fun today? I thought you and I were way closer, like two peas in a pod. No matter, my fingers will be tingling for the rest of the day!"

All of a sudden, Sanageyama rushed towards Nui with his sword, exclaiming, "I'm not gonna let ANYONE get in the way in my fight with Matoi!"

Due to the Life Fibers within her, Nui didn't seem to care one bit. Even if he impaled her, she would just regenerate... unlike with what Isshin did to her.

"Sorry, love, can't wait for this moment of mine!" Nui said to him.

"I said get out of my way!" Sanageyama thrusted his sword towards Nui, but the Life Fiber girl held up her closed parasol to block the incoming attack, startling the crowd watching the fight. "How could she be that strong?", most of them wondered.

"Gah!" Sanageyama yelled, preparing himself, "Finishing move! E-"

Before he could unleash his attack, Nui stuck out her pinky and, with her nail, hooked onto a banshee within Sanageyama's armor, pulled it out, and severed it, causing the entire suit of armor to dissipate, revealing Sanageyama without the armor on.

"Wh-What?!" The Elite exclaimed. He didn't move in time to see Nui rush at him with her parasol, and, with a push, threw him off the nearby cliff.

Nui peered over the cliff and sighed. She didn't want to do that, if she was being honest. This time, it wasn't Ragyo telling her what to do, but then again, Nui was made of Life Fibers herself, so sometimes she acted purely on whims...

Which clearly wasn't normal at all.

In the end, Ryuko decided to fight Nui and get this all over with. Leaving them to combat each other, Satsuki walked off.

"Don't you have a Goku Uniform?" Ryuko asked as she walked towards Nui.

"No, I don't wear such crude things," Nui said, running up behind Ryuko, "But enough about me, let's have a look at your Kamui!"

Ryuko gasped as Nui was talking about her Kamui, Senketsu. The reason Nui detected Senketsu was because they were both made from Life Fibers, though Ryuko did not know this about this mysterious girl yet.

Eventually, Nui pulled out what Ryuko had been looking for; the other half of the scissors, glinting with a purple color as opposed to red.

"I'm the one..." Nui exclaimed, "Who killed your Daddy!"

Ryuko gritted her teeth... that bitch! She was the one who killed her father, and here she was, taunting her about it! 

However, all of a sudden, Nui lost her "cheery" demeanor, as opposed to how happy she was earlier. The smirk on her face formed into a frown. Ryuko was still to angry to even notice this change, but...

"What is WRONG with me?"

Ryuko looked up, stopping her from drawing out her scissor blade. Did Nui say-

"Orphaning a girl, and telling her that I killed her Daddy? Stealing one half of his blades... not to mention what I did to Sanageyama."

All of a sudden, Nui dropped her blade, causing it to impale the ground. She then grabbed onto her head, shook it violently, and proceeded to insult herself...

"Stupid Nui! Stupid Nui! Stupid Nui! You didn't think any of this through! You told her the truth, but that's not gonna stop her from-"

Ryuko, having enough of this nonsense, grabbed onto her own scissor blade, and rushed at Nui with it... only to be stopped by Senketsu.

"What the hell?!"

"Ryuko, control yourself!"

"But... Senketsu! She's the killer! She killed by dad! I have to-"

"You're getting too angry! If you do, you'll..."

Ryuko stopped herself midway from between where she originally stood, and where Nui was.

"Senketsu... what IS this chick?"

"...She seems familiar, though I can't put my finger on it. I can detect that she doesn't seem normal at all."

Nui, on the other hand, kept arguing against the Life Fibers within her. Why did she have to be so similar to Ragyo? Why did she have to be the one who killed Isshin Matoi? Why did she just de-armor Sanageyama earlier? And, most importantly... Why did she have to announce that she killed Matoi to his daughter here?

...

Wait...

Why did Ryuko seem so... familiar?

...

"Senketsu! What the hell is going on?!"

"She fainted."

"...Shit. I needed to fight her! I was gonna teach her a lesson about-"

"We'll take it from here, Matoi."

"Eh? Satsuki? Mikisugi?"

"Like I said, we'll take it from here. This girl isn't exactly what you would call 'normal'."

"...But-"

"You don't need revenge. At least, not for now..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what just happened, the Life Fibers in Nui's body weren't kept "stable" enough, and she collapsed.
> 
> Next chapter will be focusing on her with the Elite Four and Nudist Beach.


	3. Nudist Beach and the Elite Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being out cold for a week, Nui awakes to find herself confronted by Ryuko, Satsuki, the Nudist Beach generals, as well as the Elite Four themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I don't think Nudist Beach are happy with what Nui's done, given that she killed Isshin Matoi. However, will Nui be able to tell them that it wasn't actually her who came up with the idea?

It had to be a week since she was locked away in that small, cold cell. Food and water could have been provided, but she was still knocked out cold. The guards assigned to her door obliged to Satsuki's request. They were surprised, if not a little shocked that she hadn't starved to death. Maybe it was because of the life fibers. She could not die unless if they were severed.

Above, unbeknownst to her, two pairs of eyes watched her closely. One stare was sharp, the other was cold.

"How long do we plan to keep her in here?" The shorter figure turned to the taller one, their eyes never losing that coldness to them.

"Until construction is complete," She replied, never taking her eyes off Nui. The shorter figure scoffed and turned back to their prisoner below, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the blonde. A tinge of utmost hatred coursed through her veins. Here she thought their father's murderer had suddenly dropped dead.

But no.

She had lived.

"Ryuko, no matter how much you glare at her, you're not going to burn holes into her skin," The taller figure spoke out, having sensed the student's tense aura.

"Why does she have to live though?! I thought we could have killed her while she was breaking down then and there! Me and Senketsu... We did all this work, all this fighting and for nothing?! I lost my father because her, Satsuki! I can't forgive her!" Ryuko immediately snapped, her voice starting to crack and waver. The older girl watched her break down, saying nothing for a few minutes.

"It might be true that you lost your father, but as long as Nui is kept here, I'm sure that she won't be able to hurt any-"

"Then why the hell is she still alive?!" Ryuko cut her off, pointing to the cell. Her eyes were glazed over now, tears starting to surface. The older girl let out a sigh, closing her eyes. She knew that Ryuko was under pressure right now.

"And we lost our scientist," a man behind the two said. Satsuki and Ryuko both turned around to see Tsumugu and Aikuro, two members of Nudist Beach enter the room. It was true that Isshin Matoi was their former scientist, but now that he was dead, the killer was right in front of her, and, by studies on her body seemed to show, she was made of Life Fibers...

"This girl's a big threat," Tsumugu said to Aikuro, "I'm just gonna put it there."

Ryuko gritted her teeth in response. "See, Satsuki? Even Nudist Beach doesn't want this bitch to leave this place alive!"

Satsuki glared at Ryuko, causing the latter to avert her own gaze. "What did I say about keeping Harime around?" Satsuki said, "We can't just 'put her out of her misery', either. We still need to ask her questions."

Almost as if it was by coincidence, Nui yawned, signaling her wake. She blinked a few times, getting used to her surroundings, before locking eyes with Satsuki. As for the other people in the room... she didn't recognize them.

"Eh?" She asked, not noticing Ryuko practically fuming at the sound of her voice, "Where... am I?"

"We're Nudist Beach," Tsumugu said, lifting up his gun full of sewing needles to Nui's face. "An organization that directly opposes the Kiryuin family and their plans to take over the world. Given some of our studies, you're made up of Life Fibers, right? You're definitely not normal at all, Harime. Plus, you've murdered our head scientist and founder, Isshin Matoi."

Ryuko growled in response and yelled, "YOU KILLED MY FATHER! I could've killed you, but no, these guys want to ask you some stupid questions instead of offing you, you bitch!"

Satsuki turned to Ryuko and said, "Matoi, please just let her explain her actions."

"Wh-What?"

"Do not question my authorities, Matoi Ryuko."

Ryuko just shook her head and began heading out the door to the room. Nui, on the other hand, was actually hoping that Ryuko would stay and listen to her 'explanations', but gave up, figuring that reasoning with the girl was futile.

Then again, Ryuko had a reason to be upset; Nui was her father's killer.

...

Would anyone want to reason with Nui, of all people?

"It is true; I killed Isshin Matoi," Nui glumly explained, blue eyes in a not-so-cheery expression, "But... I want you all to know that... it wasn't my idea."

The Nudist Beach workers, as well as the Elite Four (who had entered by Satsuki's orders), listened intently. Was Harime really not as dangerous as they expected her to be?

"I was ordered to do so by... Ragyo Kiryuin. You might know her as the head of the Kiryuin Conglomerate, as well as the head of Honnōji Academy's board of directors. Since I was her 'pet', so to speak, and she assumed I was loyal to her, she wanted me to kill Isshin to get a 'special' invention of his." Nui continued, eyeing the purple Scissor Blade she wielded only a week prior, which was currently in one of the soldier's hands. "Initially, I actually tried to object the offer, but Ragyo threatened to 'bathe' me..."

Inumuta, one of the Elite Four, a boy with blue hair, asked, "And what do you mean by 'bathe'."

Satsuki suddenly rubbed her temples. "We don't talk about that at all."

After some investigation, it was eventually led to the conclusion that Nui would be let go... with a tracker placed in her dress. Nudist Beach were going to keep watch with this strange girl, and Ryuko was, as expected, not happy with the decision, but she knew that Satsuki was dead serious about this "plan" of hers.

"Whatever you do, don't take this off," Aikuro told Nui, "Even if you're made of Life Fibers, this 'tracker' of ours will explode, burning you horribly."

Nui nodded. "I know... I promise I'll tell you people everything you need to know about Ragyo."

Satsuki added, "Nui, I'll be the one doing the talking. Besides, I know everything about Mother in the first place."

Nui turned to Sanageyama and apologized, "Sorry for destroying your Goku Uniform, Uzu."

Sanageyama was, surprisingly, calm about this. "It's fine. Shiro can make another one."

Nonon, the only female of the Elite Four with pink hair, was skeptic about Nui, though. Something about the blonde girl just didn't sit right with her. "Lady Satsuki, are you sure we should let her go?"

"Whatever Lady Satsuki is thinking about doing with her," Gamagoori, the biggest of everyone and the last of the Elite Four, "I'm sure things will work out."

-

"Nui! That's where you were?"

"Yes, Rei. An organization that was against Mama all along."

"...As expected. But Nui, she kept wondering where you were the past seven days."

"Is she mad at me? Like... REALLY mad?"

"No. She isn't, thank goodness. However, we had to rely on the Life Fibers to help create Shinra Kouketsu, due to your absence."

"...And you couldn't even object to making the kamui?"

"No, Nui, you know we can't."

"..."

"But... we have one thing to rely on, Harime."

"Yeah?"

"Remember Satsuki's 'plan'? Tomorrow will be the day she... we finally turn against Ragyo...

"The Great Culture and Sport Festival."

"But Rei... isn't that gonna be a front for Mama to have the Life Fibers consume everyone in the town?"

"No, not on Satsuki's watch. She will expose Ragyo and her plans to everyone. Maybe, just maybe, everyone will also see that we're not on Ragyo's side, thanks to her using us. Let's just hope everything goes according to plan, Harime."

"I hope so too, Rei."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the Festival!
> 
> Will Rei and Nui help Satsuki stand up to Ragyo? Find out next chapter!


	4. The Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Festival begins, as well as Satsuki's rebellion against Ragyo. How would Ragyo react to Nui and Rei turning againt her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was tough to write, especially since Nui was absent from Ragyo for a week prior, but will the Grand Courtier reveal her true motives?

Within the stadium of Honnōji Academy, under the close watch of the Nudist Beach as the Kiryuin Conglomerate assigned the Festival to begin, the Grand Courtier and secretary watched, however, knowing what Ragyo was really going to do, but could not do much about her plan.

The COVERS would awaken, absorbing most, if not all of the people here. The Primordial Life Fiber would be complete... at least, that's what Ragyo thought.

Nui didn't need to ask if any of the Elite Four, they weren't, she knew their thoughts now, and felt what they felt. This was to be expected, they were all filled with loyalty in the end, after all.

Thus Nui felt Ryuko's need to avenge the death of her loving father as well. And Nui had felt bad for Isshin Matoi's death a short time ago, what daughter couldn't? (Well, Isshin wasn't her father, but she felt Ryuko's pain) And so she felt the guilt pressing on her.

There was no equal exchange with the black-haired girl, as she could only feel hurt, especially around her father's killer.

Nui stood at the side as she watched Ragyo's announcement to the Academy. She also knew that Ryuko was by the Nudist Beach soldiers, Aikuro and Tsumugu.

She remembered being formed by a womb made up of Life Fibers--by the Primordial One itself.

She remembered Ragyo exploiting her, using her as a tool, as a weapon, not as a person, by abusing her regenerative abilities so Nui would not have to feel a slight bit of pain, even if a limb was cut off.

She remembered Ragyo "purifying" Satsuki from time to time, images that did not need to be reminded of.

She remembered killing Isshin Matoi with one of his own weapons, though she lost an eye in the process.

She remembered Satsuki telling her and Rei, that one day, they would be free.

She remembered the Nudist Beach, and their own goals for stopping Ragyo herself.

She remembered Ryuko, still not wanting to forgive her, giving her one last look of confliction before she left her cell.

But now...?

She looked up and saw something surprising; In the middle of Ragyo's announcement, Ryuko had challenged Ragyo, pulling out her blade, to which Ragyo laughed at such an attempt to scare her. Which of course brought Satsuki to literally stab Ragyo in the back. Good timing.

She listened to Satsuki now announcing to Ragyo that the Academy was actually made to form a resistance against Life Fibers, and she also exposed Ragyo's true intentions, intentions of taking over the world via Life Fibers, and sacrificing everyone and everything to the Primordial One, making the world like it was billions of years ago.

In the midst of this, however, Satsuki gestured to Nui herself, Ragyo's so-called "favorite daughter". The Life Fiber girl took a step forward, eyes narrowed, and took a deep breath.

It was time for her to finally step up and redeem herself, and to cut ties with the lady before her.

"Nui!" Ragyo shrieked. "Strike down your foe!"

Nui looked at her, eyebrow raised, then glanced momentarily in Ryuko's direction. Her lips twisted in a speculative manner.

Then, with a sigh, she answered the command. "Nah, don't think so." And without further remark or hesitation, she glared at Ragyo, choosing to side with Satsuki.

Ryuuko gaped. "What - what -"

Nui spoke to Ragyo. "A thousand years," she said, "A thousand years in the dark. It's enough to force even the greatest of villains to reconsider their ways. To think, I did wrong, and I was wrong, and I regret... everything. Her ladyship, over there might have done well to consider that her minions would have ideas of their own." She glanced down at her hands, which were neatly wrapped around the pole of her parasol. "Ah well. It was fun being the 'Grand Courtier' while it lasted."

"Wait," Ryuko said, shaking her head. "You, then, you -"

Nui still didn't look at her as she shook her head. "Time enough to regret, but not nearly enough to atone." Then abruptly, she did, and she was smiling, with just a bit of the old mania behind it. "I'm one your side now, Ryuko. Just thought you should know that."

Ragyo's lips curled into a viscious snarl. "Nui... you..."

"I think that is enough, Ragyo Kiryuin!" Satsuki yelled, glaring at her "mother", "All you want is to sacrifice billions to the Primordial, without properly knowing what the effects will be! The world will be nothing but a lifeless, yet powerful, thread-filled abomination. And... I will NOT let that happen!"

Rei stood beside Satsuki, earning another glare from Ragyo. "Rei!" the woman shrieked, "Don't tell me you-"

"Have thoughts of my own?" the secretary interrupted, "Look... as a child, I wouldn't have known about this 'Life Fiber' stuff. The only reason I was loyal to you is because you saved my life... which now I regret. As for the Grand Courtier..." Rei stopped and abruptly glanced at Nui, before continuing, "The only reason she followed your orders is because you created her, making her your daughter."

"You assumed we didn't have feelings?" Nui asked, still angered, "You assumed I didn't have feelings because I'm made of Life Fibers, inside and out? As for conquering the world... I don't see the point. I haven't been to many places, but I know what humanity's capable of; war, genocide (which YOU attempt to do, I may add), global warming, and many others. I may be made of Life Fibers, they very thing you want to expand... yet I want nothing to do with the negative parts of the world. For all we know, you might just sacrifice me as well, merely another thing to add to the Primordial Life Fiber. Yet, if I'm expanded with the other Life Fibers, I'll feel REAL pain, Mama. EVERY pain that goes on in the world... I don't want that."

The Life Fiber-infused human sighed. "I was young, naïve, innocent…just like you." She paused, examining Nui more closely. "Well, perhaps you are the more innocent once. The reason I am doing this is because of my family lineage, as we've been working for GENERATIONS to get this over with. Imagine my surprise when my own husband cut tied with me for for experimenting with his two daughters I bore." She stopped to glare at Ryuko. "Satsuki wasn't 'suitable' to be fused with the Life Fibers," she growled, while her lips curled into a smirk as she said, "But you certainly were."

Nui realized this actually made an uncomfortable amount of sense. She had felt something towards Ryuko when they first met, and heard secondhand from Rei, who had heard from Satsuki about the unnusual connection between her and Ryuko. Ryuko, on the other hand, gasped in horror at the revelation. "I was so angry that I had wasted my time and my body with Satsuki I nearly killed her then and there!" Ragyo continued, shocking both Nui and Ryuko once again. "But my husband thought it would be such a waste to get rid of Satsuki, to kill the next generation of the Kiryuin Bloodline. He volunteered to take care of the daughter I successfully fused with Life Fibers while I went off to clear my head and figure out what I really wanted. And I did. I wanted revenge!" she snarled, clenching her fists. "And I found the means to do it too, using a womb created by Life Fibers... with a bit of my former husband and my DNA," she said, gesturing to Nui. "With the power of a human created by Life Fibers, I could finally take down anyone who opposed us! Take down Nudist Beach and all the other greedy parasites like them in the world! And you and your sisters would have helped," she said, looking up at Satsuki, who couldn't believe what she was hearing from her own so-called "mother". "You and your sisters had power in you, even when you three were still just infants…power passed down from your own mother, and power from our ancestors, the first to ever come in contact with the Primordial One! With that power, we could have changed the world together, as a family!"

The Elite Four ran in front of Satsuki, Ryuko, and Nui, shielding them from Ragyo.

"But it won't turn out that way, will it?" asked Sanageyama, seeing where this was going. "Because Lady Satsuki doesn't have Life Fibers within her…but Matoi does, doesn't she?"

"Isshin betrayed me!" Ragyo cried angrily, "He didn't even respond when I attempted to call him! He wanted Ryuko's power for himself, the pig, he didn't want a world where humans didn't have power over Life Fibers! He didn't see that she belonged with me, her own mother! The one who bore her in the first place!"

"It sounds more to me like he saw what you'd become a crazy power-hungry bitch with delusions of creating a utopia," growled Inumuta.

"Of course you'd see it that way, wouldn't you!" Ragyo spat. "Humans always think alike; with their selfish nature, not wanting to share the power with anyone else!"

"That's not always true," said Nonon, "Some of the guys living here might, but we here aren't like that... Nui clearly isn't."

Nui grinned. "Thanks."

"Yeah, most of the guys here don't think at all!" joked Sanageyama.

"Hey!" Cried one of the generic One Stars.

Ragyo snorted. "Crude and insensitive jokes, another sign of human indolence. Don't you agree that we'd be better off without them, Nui?" she asked Nui.

Nui just stared back, confused and disgusted by the behavior of the women who called herself her mother. "I-I don't know," she said, uncertain what to say. She wanted to stay with her friends very much, but…this was her mother! Even if she was weird and homicidal and beyond evil, didn't that count for something?

The elder didn't look happy at this, but seemed to reassure herself. "It doesn't matter what you think now," she said. "You'll understand once we are together, far away from these corrupting influences."

"You're not taking her anywhere!" said Gamagoori, knuckles cracking from clenching his raised fists.

"You see? Even now, when you are virtually in my grasp, they still seek to possess you. Typical humans!" said the elder to her child.

Nonon blinked. "What? No! We don't want to possess her or anything. I just don't want her to go with you because she's on our side. She belongs with us!"

"She belongs with her family! And so does Satsuki! So does Ryuko!" declared Ragyo, "And since her father is dead, and he won't be able to do anything about this, that duty lies to me!"

"You may be the one who gave birth to Lady Satsuki and Ryuko, but that doesn't make you their family!" said Sanageyama. "You even threw Ryuko away moments after she was born! The only reason you want her back now is because of this power that you and everyone else seems to think is inside of her. You're just as bad as all of the humans you're generalizing about!"

The woman's eyes flashed. "You…how dare you!" The rainbow parts of her hair glowed red.

"Can't get me that easily," Satsuki muttered. Rei glanced at Satsuki and started, "Satsuki, this has gone on long enough. We need to evacuate this place!"

Satsuki looked a bit uncertain. "But…Rei…can't we…she's my mother! You know how strong we all are, especially combined! If we work together, we could possibly defeat her once and for all! You want us to retreat and look like a bunch of cowards, right?"

Rei grimaced. "If we had the upper hand? No. But since we know what Ragyo's capable of? Yes!"

Satsuki looked shocked. "So we should retreat? Why?"

"Because you have an alarm system for evacuation!" exclaimed Rei angrily. The Nudist Beach soldiers and Nui gasped, for they had not been privy to this information. The Elite Four had, and shook their heads sadly.

Ragyo sniffed. "Just like a human…"

"You're one to talk, lady!" Gamagoori snapped. "You're just as bad as we seemed to be! You dumped Ryuko on your husband because she wasn't 'good enough' for your standards, and you didn't feel like being near anything to remind you of Isshin. Despite all your talk about covering the Earth with Life Fibers, you're no better than the people you're generalizing!"

"How DARE you!" Ragyo growled through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong, can't take the truth?" Aikuro taunted. He looked back at Ryuko, who was stunned to learn all of this information. "Your mom doesn't want you because you're her daughter, she as much as said so herself, she just wants whatever power you have. Even if she did give birth to you, she's never done anything worthy of being called your parent. The only people who deserve that name is you father, the one who raised you from childhood, made you feel better when you were down, and molded you into the person you are now. They're the only ones who deserve to be called your family, not someone who's just waltzed back into your life after years and years, insisting you belong together just because of some blood tie."

"Satsuki, Ryuko, Nui, don't listen to them!" said Ragyo, "They're-"

"Telling the truth," Nui said, her eye narrowing. "Besides, we never believed your crazy ideas and justifications to begin with. Even if you are my mother, you're trying to hurt me and my friends…and so you will receive no mercy!"

"For the time being," Satsuki added, holding up a white object with a red button, "This is the evacuation system. Only I have it. And, quite frankly, I've never had to use this before... until now."

"No!" Ragyo cried as Satsuki pressed the button, causing the alarm system in the stadium to go off, with red lights flashing and a loud noise blaring over the speakers.

Ryuko looked up and gasped. In the sky were what looked to be white business suits, but they had red strings inside of them.

"Those are..." Aikuro started, looking up at the sky as well.

"The COVERS." Ragyo said, smirking, "Even if the people here get out in time, the COVERS still awakened. And, with their help, humanity's fate shall be sealed, once and for all!"

Gamagoori, deciding this was enough, grabbed Satsuki, Ryuko, and Nui in his arms, and yelled, "Forget about fighting Kiryuin Ragyo! We have to retreat! NOW!"

Ryuko blinked. "But..." she began to protest, "We can take them all on, right?"

"There's too many of them," Senketsu told her, "Like Rei said, we aren't exactly prepared."

Ryuko screamed at the others, "You IDIOTS! Me and Nui have weapons that can sever Life Fibers! What do you think you're-"

"Rei is right," Satsuki snapped at Ryuko, "We have to leave, Ryuko. We can't just stay around to fight Mother. Otherwise..."

Satsuki looked to the grounds and saw the residents of the city fleeing to the exits. At the tops of the doors, you could faintly see metallic gates closing in on the ground, albeit very slowly.

"This will not be the last of us, Ragyo Kiryuin," Satsuki said, glaring at Ragyo, who stifled a laugh.

"Very well," Ragyo said back, "I will be looking forward to seeing you again, daughters."

With that, Gamagoori, holding Satsuki and her sisters tightly in his arms, as well as the rest of the Elite Four, and the Nudist Beach soldiers all ran out of the Academy in time before the gates closed off the entrances.

-

"Ryuko!" A high-pitched, oddly familiar voice broke out amongst the chaos. A girl with short brown hair and wearing a school girl's outfit came running towards Gamagoori. She immediately recognized the people in front of her, even Nui and Rei, whom she had seen talk against Ragyo in front of everyone.

"Mako..." Ryuko murmured before the girl came and embraced her, ignoring the fact that she was tired. When Mako broke away, she frowned at the fact that Ryuko looked much different from before. Her eyes were barely open, dark bags were forming under her eyes, and her face was sunken in and her body was thinner.

"What did you do to her?" Mako turned to Satsuki, who had been let go of by Gamagoori. Nui noticed blood staining a part of her neck.

"We've done nothing to harm her, Mankanshoku. She has simply been... quite shocked from a certain revelation," Satsuki stated, and the brown-haired girl looked back at Ryuko. The taller teen was looking away now, avoiding her gaze. She did have pride after all.

"Is it true?" Mako asked, but Ryuko stayed quiet.

"Ryuko, please answer!" Mako was practically begging at this point.

"Yes..." She murmured, hiding her face in Gamagoori's bulk. Mako didn't question her after that, but simply turned back to Satsuki.

"What will happen to her?"

"We're going to make an actual plan to retaliate against the COVERS, with the help of Nudist Beach," Satsuki replied, and Mako's eyes widened. However, she could not fight her. She was just another student under Satsuki's rules. Even if she was good friends with Ryuko, she couldn't break Satsuki's promise.

"Alright, Satsuki," Mako sighed before turning away from the long-haired woman.

The remainder of the group were in varied states of shock, dread, and anticipation. Nui and Rei were understandably miserable, because they had practically betrayed Ragyo with their own intentions and had little doubt in their minds that Ragyo wanted them dead now. Rei had only helped Ragyo because they were good friends for years, but Nui's entire existence was because of Ragyo in the first place, and thanks to the fact that she was ordered into killing Isshin Matoi, it only increased her certainty that Ryuko and Satsuki won't forget her. At least Nui had some small comfort in keeping Rei soul with her, since the two were close, and they were some of the only people who knew of Satsuki's rebellion. Tsumugu had been frustrated at first, but somewhat accepted Satsuki's offer to keep Nui and Rei around, deciding that the two had many secrets regarding Ragyo, especially since they originally worked under her orders (And besides, at that moment there were numerous students in critical condition suffering because some of the COVERS had attacked them, and Iori was needed to help stabilize them in the chaos which followed the invasion of the COVERS.).

As for Ryuko…

She had gone into shock in response to the reveal that Ragyo was her mother... and Satsuki and Nui were her sisters. She didn't speak, didn't move, and barely even blinked. Even Senketsu elicited no response from her. It was clear the girl was deeply traumatized.

After a while, however, she spoke...

"I..."

"Ryuko...?" Nui asked, turning her head in Ryuko's direction.

"You..." Ryuko tried to say, "Are... agh!"

"Ryuko!" Mako cried, "Say what you have to say!"

However, Satsuki noticed that something was clearly wrong with her sister. Her face was contorted to one of pure anger. "Everyone, stand back," she warned them, "There's something... not quite right about Ryuko."

"My sister," Ryuko muttered, "Is my father's killer. And... and... and..."

Nui flinched, but Senketsu looked up at Ryuko and cried, "Ryuko! Calm down! Your blood temperature... it's too hot!"

Ryuko suddenly dropped to her knees and screamed up at the sky this one message: 

"I'M A LIFE FIBER MONSTER!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... Honnōji Academy was not destroyed! Not yet, anyway. Plus, the Junketsu stuff won't happen.
> 
> However, Ryuko learns that she is--in fact--Ragyo's daughter. What will she feel towards Nui next time? Find out next chapter!


	5. A Chance for Climax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuko attempts to assassinate Ragyo on her own, but Nui believes she can handle Ragyo for Ryuko and the rest of their "friends" while the Elite Four and Nudist Beach fight the COVERS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be a bit similar to how Episode 20 of the actual show went down, but again, there's no Junketsu-Ryuko thing going on (thank God).
> 
> Fun fact: One of the lines from the last chapter was inspired by "Do You See How They Shine" (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10484907/1/Do-You-See-How-They-Shine) by Darkenning, so credits to them.

After Ragyo Kiryuin dominated the Academy, the COVERS quickly escaped, attempting to absorb more and more humans within them. However, Ryuko, Satsuki, the Elite Four, and Nudist Beach tried their best to cut down the alien clothing. Nui, on the other hand, watched from the sides with Rei and Mako, not finding it in herself to fight at the moment, considering everything that just happened...

However, Satsuki recalled what her mother said back at the festival: She clearly wanted her daughter to fight her sometime soon. Of course, Satsuki would never do such a thing, fearing that she could very well place her younger sisters in danger. Whatever Ragyo wanted to do with her daughters... they all knew it wasn't pretty. Even if she could contact any of them, they all knew what she wanted...

War.

And this was definitely reflected with Ryuko's emotions, at the moment.

Ryuko, still blinded by rage, could never accept the fact that her father's killer was apparently her younger sister. She wanted to believe that... this was all a joke. A sick, twisted joke Ragyo was playing on her. ...But it wasn't. It wasn't, and now she had to live with the fact that she had Life Fibers-

"Ryuko!" Aikuro warned as the group kept taking down more of the invading COVERS, "Whatever Ragyo Kiryuin wants you, Satsuki, and Harime to do... it's a trap. It's dangerous to just walk up to Ragyo with blind rage, from the looks of it."

Ryuko suddenly snapped at him, "Quit trying to act like you're still my teacher!" With a sudden quick slash of her blade, Ryuko cut through Aikuro's robot, causing the blue-haired man to drop to the ground, naked (although the last part didn't seem to faze anyone). Aikuro, shocked at the attack, stared up at his former student. The others all stared at Ryuko, but before Satsuki could intervene, Ryuko continued to rant...

"This was your fault from the start!" She yelled at Aikuro, "You knew everything, and you may have been acting all nonchalant... but deep down, you were laughing at me as some monster freak like Nui!" She pointed at the blonde, who shielded her own face with her parasol as a response. How could she even show her face to Ryuko after all of this?

Aikuro, holding a neutral expression, got back up to his feet and said to Ryuko, "That's not true!" Ryuko, now getting angrier, cried, "Shut it! I'm sick of your excuses!"

Tsumugu shielded Aikuro and sighed, "So it looks like humans and clothing can't understand each other after all."

"You and that stupid crap you keep spouting..." Ryuko continued, "I was NEVER a human being from the start!" Taking her blade, Ryuko quickly slashed a huge blow that rippled across the group and cut through a nearby building, having enough (and surprising) force the cut the building the blast headed towards in half, startling Mako at the sight.

"She destroyed one of those buildings with a single blow?!" Gamagoori exclaimed.

"I sense malice," Sanageyama added.

"So this is my message: Move! Anybody who gets in my way gets smashed! No matter who it is!" Ryuko's eyes locked onto Nui, who found herself... trembling in fear? Why was she scared of Ryuko? Oh wait... the Life Fibers in her were shivering as well. "Especially you!" Ryuko hissed, all of her anger directed at Nui.

"Ryuko!" Senketsu, who had hopped off of Ryuko's body earlier, cried out in alarm.

"That's right!" Ryuko continued to shout, "This is who I am now!" The teenager caught her breath, before still ranting, "You people can just take off your Goku Uniforms. But me? I'll be fused with Life Fibers until the day I die! Senketsu wasn't the weapon created to kill its fellow Life Fibers!"

After a long pause, she stabbed her blade into the Earth, before muttering, "...It was me."

Nui hung her head and sighed, "I guess I've also turned against my 'fellow' Life Fibers, too."

"It can't be..." Senketsu whispered, the black clothing glancing at Nui for a moment.

"When I look at BOTH of you," Ryuko shouted at Senketsu and Nui, "I get so annoyed at my own STUPIDITY!" She stared at them for a moment, tears in her eyes.

"But Ryuko!" Nui began, "I've... been made up of Life Fibers my whole life! I know what it's like! Sure, it... might be painful for you to learn about the truth now, but-"

"There's no 'buts' in this!" Ryuko yelled, pressing her blade up against Nui's neck, "THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR ANYTHING! And don't you DARE compare yourself to me, you bitch!"

"Ryuko..." Senketsu tried to say something else, but Ryuko cut him off, shouting, "If I've made up my point, don't cling on to me anymore!"

"He will cling on to you!" Mako shouted, grabbing Senketsu and pressing him up to Ryuko, "I mean, Senketsu's your friend and your Sunday best! He's going to cling on to you forever and ever, just like some outfit that's full of static electricity!"

Ryuko, on the other hand, ignored Mako and began to walk off. Satsuki, oddly enough, never said a word. Needless to say, she was rather quiet... to quiet, as cliche as that may seem, but to her, the only thing Ryuko could do at the moment was take out her rage. And so she watched as Ryuko walked up to... Nui.

'Of course,' Satsuki thought, 'Unless if Nui has any will to fight... she might be in huge trouble.'

Ryuko could feel the blood pounding in her ears as the "cute" girl with blonde pigtails was right in front of her. That purple eyepatch. The look in her eyes, obviously asking for forgiveness. The other half of the scissors in her hand...

She hated the bitch.

As Ryuko was walking towards Nui, her fists tightened to the point that her nails dug deeply into her flesh. Just thinking about the demon that was Nui made her want to slice everything within sight in half.

Especially her.

The fact that Nui acted so proud of killing her father at first disgusted Ryuko. It made her want to hurl her guts out. There was something about the girl that just screamed pure evil. The cutesy appearance was a mask that hid the devil that she truly was. She was the embodiment of everything Ryuko detested; A girly girl who thought she was better than her, not to mention, to Ryuko, she seemed just plain creepy.

It just didn't make sense that she always had Rei by her side. Did she actually expect herself to be forgiven just because Ragyo told her to kill Ryuko's father? It just wasn't normal at all!

Thinking about Nui was Ryuko's least favorite past time because once she started on this path she just couldn't stop. Not without breaking something or at least imagining tearing the demon apart piece by piece. Only that would grant her any peace of mind.

Although, in front of Satsuki and Rei, she wouldn't do such a thing... which wanted to make her gag.

And nobody actually expected Nui to get repeatedly punched in the face, kicked in the gut, shoved to the ground, and have the other half of the scissor blades snatched out of her hands... all by Ryuko Matoi herself, who loomed over the once-graceful figure of the Grand Courtier.

With that, Ryuko smiled as she held onto the second half of the scissors... the one Nui used to kill her father. She frowned, but slowly started smiling as the color of purple faded to red to match with what was once her only half of the weapon. Finally, the purple that reminded her of Nui was gone! And finally... she got the other half of her father's weapon.

And, with all of that being said and done, Nui passed out again, the Life Fibers not strong enough to support her consciousness. Before she blacked out, she could've sworn she saw the rag-covered Ryuko run away from the group, wielding both blades, and set on one goal, and one goal only...

Killing every Life Fiber she came across.

...

"There's no sign of COVERS reinforcements," Inumuta noted as he researched, "Meaning they were only after Ryuko Matoi."

"If only I had known what she was sooner..." Gamagoori began, only to be cut off by Nonon, who simply replied, "You could have done something? That's just your ego talking."

Gamagoori glanced at Nui's resting form on the floor, with Rei sitting next to her. Then he saw Satsuki sitting next to him, her expression unreadable. The big man continued, "We've just lost Ryuko Matoi as an asset. All we can do now is figure out what we can do without her. As such, we have no time for regrets."

Aikuro, who was next to Tsumugu, said, "You kids sure are level-headed. That's quite rare in high-schoolers."

"We were trained by Lady Satsuki," Nonon replied, gesturing to Satsuki, "We can't let something like this get us down."

Tsumugu asked, "What was she trying to do by provoking Matoi and luring her into Honnōji Academy?"

"I figured that... if she defeats Ragyo Kiryuin," Satsuki calmly explained, "It will save us all a lot of trouble."

"But now she's possibly up against Ragyo," Gamagoori said, "It won't be easy."

After another long pause, Nui lifted her head up, awake. "Wha... happen...?" She asked as she came to her senses.

"It seems that Ryuko is going to try and take on Ragyo by herself," Rei said regretfully. Nui's jaw dropped.

"Wh-What?! That's suicide!"

"There was nothing we could do to stop her," Satsuki sighed, "And seeing how hard she beat you, Nui... she's going through a lot of pain."

Senketsu said to himself, "Ryuko was crying, suffering, and resentful... This time, she was the one who was crying bitter tears. I will go to Honnōji Academy. I can't leave Ryuko alone! Well... no one can hear me, anyways."

"I can hear you, Senketsu," Nui said, walking over to the black and red clothing, "We're both made of Life Fibers, after all!" Senketsu stared up at her in suprise.

Everyone else stared at Nui in shock. "You can hear Senketsu?" Tsumugu asked, "Well... we could've used this girl as a translator for all we know."

"That's not important right now!" Mako said to Tsumugu. She then crouched down to Senketsu's level and asked, "You want to go after Ryuko, don't you, Senketsu?"

"I'll help him," Nui said, picking up the uniform. "I'll know what he's saying and all, but... I just wanna tell Ryuko how I feel. Hopefully she'll listen, right?"

Rei placed a hand on Nui's shoulder. "I know she holds a grudge, but... I doubt she can stay mad at you forever, as angry as she seems."

Satsuki nodded. "Plus, Nui Harime doesn't seem to be the real threat here," Nui stared at her, before Satsuki continued, "...Our so-called 'mother' is." Nui let out a sigh of relief.

"Then I'll go with Lil' Senketsu here... alone." Nui said, "I don't want any of you assisting me."

Rei looked dumbfounded. "Are you sure, Nui?"

"Even without the other scissor blade, I can handle myself," the blonde said, "I was trained for years without the thing. Before now, I only had it for six months. Me and Senketsu can manage."

"So..." Aikuro asked everyone, "Are we prepared for this?"

Everyone nodded.

"Behold! This is our final card! The Naked Sol!"

After some absurd (but awesome) mechanics, the Naked Sol set sail, heading towards Honnōji Academy.

Nui and Senketsu, however, were very much ready. Whether or not they would face both Ryuko and Ragyo... they would fight, just like the Life Fibers within them were telling to.

-

Ryuko roared in rage as she sliced as many COVERS as she could; she wouldn't let a single one of these damned things get away! Some were easy, like some COVERS who looked like thin business suits, while some others, like the COVERS who looked big and muscular, not unlike Gamagoori, were a bit tough to take down, but in the end, nothing could spare them from Ryuko Matoi's wrath.

'Where are you, Ragyo Kiryuin?!' Ryuko thought, 'Why aren't you coming out to fight?! If you want a piece of me... I'll give it to you!'

Even after slaughtering dozens of COVERS, Ragyo still didn't show up! If she had to be here all day, Ryuko wouldn't even pass up, considering this bitch of a woman was hogging her patience at this rate!

And then, the most annoying voice she'd ever heard pierced her eardrums...

"Ryuko!"

'Nui Harime.'

Ryuko spun around to see the Life Fiber-infused girl bouncing towards her, Senketsu wrapped in her arms. However, even from a distance, Ryuko would not let these two get even an inch in her presence. These COVERS were getting boring, after all. What else could she do to prepare herself against Ragyo?

"You looked ever more wild than before, Ryuko!" Nui yelled, "But... you can't do this alone! You need your kamui, right?"

"Quit your yapping!" Ryuko snapped, "I need to kill Ragyo by myself! And, once I do... I'll destroy EVERY Life Fiber, starting with you, Harime!"

Nui was taken aback by that last statement, which only hurt her more. Senketsu was concerned as well, not just by Ryuko's last sentence, but how much he merely felt Nui's emotions change. But, Ryuko here... was this really the same girl who he helped in many battles?

"I'm fine," Nui reassured Senketsu, then her gaze shifted to Ryuko, who was now running towards her. "But... Ryuko, wait!"

Without warning, Ryuko suddenly kicked Nui in the gut with enough force, causing Nui to lose her grip on Senketsu, and sending her crashing into a nearby wall.

"They all talk about you, huh?" Ryuko shouted, "They all talk about how you're some superhuman just 'cause you were born from some Life Fiber womb. Isn't that right, Nui? Then, how come..." Ryuko's grip on her blades tightened as she searched for where the blonde landed. "How come you aren't fighting me?!"

Senketsu grabbed onto one of Ryuko's legs with his sleeves, and his eyes widened in shock at how hot her blood felt.

"Get off of me!" Ryuko shook her leg, attempting to shake Senketsu off, "I don't need you!"

"You mustn't give into despair, Ryuko!" Nui shouted from behind.

"What the-" Ryuko glanced back at the wall where Nui had - presumably - been dented in... only to see nothing.

"I forgot to show you," Nui said, holding up her pink parasol over her head, "I have some sort of 'special attack', if you will...

"Mon-Mignon Prêt-à-Porter." All of a sudden, pink paper dolls that looked strangely like Nui popped out from underneath her parasol, and once they hit the ground, in a puff of white smoke, they all turned into identical copies of Nui herself. Ryuko's eyes widened in fear, finding herself fuming at the sight of dozens of copies of her father's killer... or her younger sister, which she still couldn't accept.

"You thought you kicked me over there?" The real Nui gestured to the wall, "That was just one of my doppelgangers."

Ryuko gritted her teeth, tightening her grips on the blades even more. "Then... I don't care if you're trying to 'help'! I'm gonna kill every single last one of you little shits!"

Senketsu, on the other hand, still held firm on Ryuko's leg. Nui just nodded slightly at Ryuko's challenge. With that said and done, Ryuko began fighting her way through Nui's "doppelgangers", cutting most of them down easily. Given that they were simply copies of Nui, of course they would be weaker, but this only fueled the fire within the girl more.

Even after Ryuko began to cut down copies of her, Nui wasn't fazed in the slightest; she could just replace these mere "doppelgangers", after all. And Senketsu was STILL holding on, showing his own determination. But her attention was on Ryuko, who was now charging towards her with both scissor blades pointed in her direction.

'This is it,' Nui thought, 'If I snatch the blades, I'll have a chance at tiring her out. But if she succeeds in severing the Life Fibers in me...'

Her one eye narrowed. 'No... I have a chance. I'm sorry, Ryuko, but you've made me come to this...'

Without a second thought, Nui charged at Ryuko as well. Just as both combatants were prepared to strike...

"Well... if it isn't my youngest daughters."

Both girls (and the one clothing) were knocked back from their clash, distracted by the voice. They all looked up to see... Ragyo Kiryuin, who was standing right before them. Needless to say, she was smiling... coldly.

"It's quite a shame, Nui," Ragyo spoke, "I had other plans involving you. But instead, you and Rei both betray me. Have you both ever thought how I would feel about that?"

"Ragyo Kiryuin..." Ryuko hissed, "I'm gonna kill you, and then... I'll destroy the source of the Life Fibers, killing all of them!"

"As for you, Matoi Ryuko," Ragyo sighed, "Why are you not wearing your precious kamui? Although, I was going to take drastic measures..."

"Drastic... measures?" Senketsu asked. Ragyo glared down at him, causing him to hide behind one of Nui's legs, much to the Life Fiber-infused girl's concern.

"I was going to have you wear Junketsu, Satsuki's kamui!" Ragyo explained to Ryuko, "But, at the end of the day... not everything is perfect." She shifted her gaze to Nui and said, "All of this would have happened, had you not helped humiliate and expose me at the festival, along with Rei and Satsuki."

Senketsu hopped over to Ryuko and cried, "Ryuko! Please take me back! She was going to force you to wear another kamui with... unstable feats!"

Ryuko's anger... somewhat lifted. "Wha...?"

"Forgive us," Senketsu apologized, "We didn't know how upset you truly were... but... you still need me. Your father trusted you with me, did he not?"

"..."

"Look, Ryuko, Ragyo here was going to strap Junketsu onto you to just use you... and that's not right at all. Luckily, Satsuki escaped with Junketsu, but..."

"What do you mean?"

"Staying mad at me forever... that's not what your father wanted."

"I bet my father would hate me for siding with his killer!"

"Nui is beside the point. Ryuko... will you forgive me, please?"

"...Fine."

With that, Ryuko let Senketsu slide back on her. The two were now syncing as one, even if the reunion was quick.

Nui stared at the two, happy for Senketsu... but mostly Ryuko.

Ragyo simply chuckled at the exchange of Ryuko and Senketsu. "Who can say though, now that you're on the same side with your father's killer? If you should ever kill the Primordial Life Fiber, though, I highly doubt your little kamui will survive…" Ragyo turned to Nui with a sinister smile on her face, "Not after you realize how the kamui practically level their own strength and will kill dear old Ryuko and Satsuki. I'm still surprised Ryuko's close to forgiving you for killing her father. Would you forgive me too if I murdered your new friends?"

"She has not forgiven me," Nui told her coldly. "But she and I... are working on moving past that. I understand why she was angry, but Senketsu told her to not hold a grudge. Which is more than I can say for what I would feel for you if you continued existing much longer."

Ragyo laughed. "Daughter, if I actually felt any affection for you, that would've hurt. But seeing as how one of the main reasons I made you exist is to see others suffer…your anger is turning me on."

"You are the most disgusting and abominable creature I have ever met," Nui said, even colder than before. She was now more angry at the accusations from her "mother" than afraid of Ragyo. "You are something that should not exist, Ragyo."

"In that case-" Ragyo broke off, preparing either Nui or Ryuko to strike. "Shall we dance?"

Nui's enraged charge, slamming into her and knocking both of them past the surprised Ryuko and off the edge of the nearby cliff, was all the answer she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Nui's fight with Ragyo begins; both are humans made up of Life Fibers. Place your bets on who will win in the next couple of chapters!

**Author's Note:**

> Now that was depressing, wasn't it?
> 
> Don't worry, by the Tournament, we'll see what happens in this alternative universe when Nui fights Ryuko for the first time! Will Nui be able to tell Ryuko her true motives? Find out next time!


End file.
